A Zimbabwean woman living in the United States has been found guilty of money laundering after earning more than US$1.2 million by exploiting victims through elaborate romance scams. Sherlyn Sims, a/k/a “Sherlyn Dzinzi,” was convicted by a jury in Atlanta, USA, following a five-day trial. She is scheduled to be sentenced on November 5, 2024.
Sims, 33, was accused of conspiring to launder, and laundering, proceeds generated from numerous romance fraud scams and business email compromise schemes. These crimes, carried out between December 2019 and August 2020, saw victims lured into fake online relationships, often with promises of a future together.
The prosecution presented evidence that Sims, along with her co-defendants, created sham businesses, including Grace Trading, LLC, a company registered in Georgia. These businesses, with no legitimate earnings, physical premises, or employees, were used to open bank accounts at various financial institutions.
One of the key tactics used by Sims and her co-conspirators was to convince victims to send money to these accounts under false pretenses. For example, one victim was persuaded to send nearly $100,000 to Sims’s account because her online boyfriend claimed he was detained by customs officials in Boston and needed money to pay his taxes. This victim, believing she was in a genuine relationship, depleted her life savings and borrowed from friends and family to help her “boyfriend.”
“The fraud schemes that Sims perpetrated in this case have become an epidemic in this country,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Our vulnerable elderly population are often targeted in these crimes, resulting in significant financial loss and unimaginable emotional suffering. The jury’s verdict has ended Sims’s attempts to evade culpability for the role that she played in carrying out these schemes.”
Sims’s actions went beyond simply receiving the stolen funds. She quickly wired the money to China and other foreign countries, withdrew cash from the accounts, and transferred or spent the remaining funds. She even used Grace Trading to obtain a fraudulent COVID-loan from the Small Business Administration.
The case highlights the sophisticated methods employed by criminals in the digital age and the need for vigilance in online interactions. “This case serves as a reminder of the sophisticated methods employed by criminals and the need for vigilance in the digital age,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley. “The consequences of this type of fraud scheme are far-reaching, affecting not only people here in Georgia, but also around the world.”
Multiple romance fraud victims testified at trial, recounting how they were tricked into believing they were in a genuine romantic relationship with the men they met online. These men, often claiming to be eager to start a life with the victims, would invent scenarios requiring the victims to send money.
